Who has the power?
Rufus the 
barber was cutting a customer’s hair; his street name is Lassie. He stopped and saw someone walking across the street coming towards the barbershop; he told Lassie to get up, Dr. Wise is coming in. You’re just a “sperm shooter” with three kids, and no visible source of income, I’ll finish cutting your hair when he’s gone.
Lassie politely got up from the barber chair and smiled when Dr. Wise entered the barbershop for his regular haircut.
Rufus the barber started cutting the doctor’s hair, and Lassie said,
“Doctor, how are you doing?”
“And you, Lassie, is that your name? Yes, ask me, how am I doing?
I’m doing good, but Walter Scott, the Black guy shot dead by a white policeman, shot in the back, he was unarmed, he’s dead. You should ask the family of the Black man shot dead by the white policeman.”
There was an “Amen” in the barbershop.
Professor put up his hand and said, “Doctor, this shooting of Black men, raping Black women has been going on for decades, and will not stop. It all started in the western World when they brought us over on slave ships four hundred years ago, in slave ships, one of the popular ships was Amazing Grace. The Western world needed cheap labor, they had no machines to do the work.”
The doctor gave a thumbs-up, he didn’t want to move his head because he was getting a haircut, but he said, “Amen.”
Welfare Wesley asked, “What kind of doctor are you?”
The doctor said, “I’m a Doctor of medicine.”
Welfare Wesley, “So you save peoples’ lives.”
“Yes,” said the doctor.
“So Doc,” Welfare Wesley said, “Since you’re a medical doctor, you must have seen all the mistakes the white policeman made after he pumped five bullets into the back of an unarmed Black man?”
“Yes,” the doctor said.
“I see a lot of things, but so what, nothing will ever change. Why? It’s so obvious; it hasn’t after all these decades. It’s the golden rule, whoever has the gold makes the rules. They have the gold, so they make the rules.”
The latest issue of Contact came in; Dropout passed one to the doctor (April 16, 2015).
“What’s up with the fake hair?”
The doctor said, “I read this fella Bryan Bishop all the time in Contact, but what’s wrong with this fella, doesn’t he know that all Black women want to have hair like Beyoncé or Rihanna, fake hair, extensions, it doesn’t matter if the fake hair cost. Paul Mooney the comic once said, “When Diana Ross has to fly to a concert she has so much fake hair that she has to take two planes, one to carry her fake hair, and one to carry her and her band. Yes, it’s a $500 million dollar industry, and Blacks don’t make any money, growing it and selling it wholesale.” “It’s said, Blacks are all consumers. Ask Brian Smith, graduate of Boston University, he will tell you that he agrees that Blacks do not have a cultural sense of business.”
Money said, “It will never change because the Blacks who could make the change are too busy trying to be celebrities amongst Blacks. They don’t want money to share among others; they just want a job, a government grant. A government grant is O.K. But be productive, start a food bank, give away used clothing, send staff to hospitals to visit patients, help families that live below the poverty line, send a volunteer to shadow a blind person one day a month, send a volunteer to any hospital. There is a lot that can be done because there are 185,000 Blacks in Montreal.”
There was an “Amen” in the barbershop.
One of the Regulars of the Ways and Means Committee said that he was at a reception for the Minister of Foreign Affairs from Jamaica, George Grant the Council General for Jamaica in Quebec. The Bagel King, the most powerful Black in Quebec, was nice enough to invite certain people to a reception at Ruby Foos Hotel, the reception was first class. Brian Smith was there, everybody that was somebody was there to meet Arnoldo Brown from the government of Jamaica. If you were not there, you’re a nobody.
Millie, a caregiver sat quietly and listened to everything. Ivyline Fleming, a beautiful lady was there, and she told some people that she wanted her name in the Contact, because she has done a lot for the Black Community. She said, “Everybody else is getting medals in Contact, so why not her. She wants to be recognized.
Oscar Peterson was one of Canada’s greatest ambassadors, known all over the world. If Concordia University hadn’t named a concert hall after him you would never hear the name of the great Oscar Peterson in Quebec.
The first Black Judge in Quebec was a female, Judge Juanita Westmoreland Traoré; the Right Honorable Marlene Jennings M.P. 14 years as a Federal Member of Parliament; Benjamin White from Jamaica, who started the Veterans Taxi with his friend city councilor Frank Hanley; Dr. Ellery Tucker; Michael Lee Chin, born in Jamaica, a billionaire, lives in Canada.
Just Chillin asked, “Why are you saying these names? Why? Because it’s obvious, these people are Black. Jackie Robinson said, “A life is not important unless it has impact on other peoples’ lives.” Ask Aubrey Merriman who made an impact on his life. Google him, he’s not shy to tell anyone who asks him and the hundreds of other people from Montreal that were touched by the West End Sports Association. Ask Dr. Oliver Jones, he will tell you; he’s not shy. He told Bagel King George Grant.
Everybody in the barbershop said “Amen.”
Just Chillin said, “You can say that again.”
So everybody said, “Amen.”
Welfare Wesley said, “Thank goodness for Contact, where else can you read the truth? Example, Yvonne Sam Contact April 16, 2015, “Will Justice prevail this time?” Yvonne Sam is slowly living up to the standards of the Ways and Means Committee. The only thing wrong with Yvonne Sam is her views on raising children. She believes in whipping or beating them. She said she believes in it. This is not right. Show children love, talk with them.”
There was an “Amen” from everybody.
“It’s all about love. We still love her.”
Everybody said, “Amen.”
PoBoy said, “Lots of people don’t know that 1 out of 6 kids in Canada live in poverty.”
There was a discussion in the barbershop, no arguments or heated arguments.
The last time there was argument in the barbershop was 7 years ago. It was about, “Can a Black man become president of the USA?” Then the other argument was about, “Can a Black man get re-elected President of the USA?”
Now there are no more arguments, it’s only debates, discussions…
Now the discussions are, who is the most powerful Black in Quebec? For ten years, it was Judge Juanita Westmoreland Traoré. The Judge retired but everybody still calls her Judge. “Hi Judge.”
Everybody was naming who they think is the most powerful Black in Quebec; people from every island from the Caribbean who were present in Montreal were throwing in names.
Genius put up his hand and said, “I have heard all the names, but the most powerful Black in Quebec without a doubt is George Grant. Why? George Grant is not living off government grants; he owns two or three businesses that provide people jobs. This is very important. Who else in Quebec brought in a youth choir all the way from Jamaica, not Jamaica Long Island, but Jamaica in the beautiful sunny Caribbean? Yes, Michael Lee Chin is Black and a billionaire who lives in Ontario, not Quebec.”
And now the Chief of Police in Toronto is Black, of Jamaican heritage.
Millie Gardner was listening and she said, “Amen.” She said, “Everybody should read Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s latest book. God bless the child.”
Dropout put up his hand and said, “Another Black is dead, in Baltimore, April 2015. Freddie Gray, killed in police custody, “Hunting Day in South Carolina” (Contact April 16, 2015.) Now hunting day in Baltimore, when will it stop?”
